Dean Young, a GOP candidate for the Congressional office in Alabama vacated by Representative Jo Bonner’s (R) retirement, released an anti-gay and religious pledge this week that he has asked his eight primary opponents to sign. The pledge requires candidates to affirm that they subscribe to religious beliefs that oppose marriage equality.

Young’s pledge, entitled “Pledge to Oppose Gay Marriage,” argues that it is “time for men and women of faith to stand for the founding Christian values and morals that made our nation great, to defend our families and the sacred holiness of marriage.” The pledge has six points to which signers must affirm (as follows):

1. I believe that the only marriage is between one man and one woman.

2. I believe the Biblical condemnation of homosexuality and thereby gay marriage.

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3. The tenants [sic] of my church oppose gay marriage.

4. I oppose gay marriage.

5. As a member of Congress, I shall take active steps to oppose gay marriage.

6. I support the by-law change to expel any member of the Republican Executive Committee who opposes the party position by supporting gay marriage.

This is not the first time Young has been outspoken in his rejection of marriage equality. In a previous interview with Alambama’s WPMI, Young blasted “weak and spineless” GOP members that did not openly oppose LGBT rights, and declared his own opposition to gay marriage.

“If you want to have homosexuals pretending like they’re married, then go to the Democrat party,” Young said.

Alabama’s state constitution states that “no religious test shall be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under this state; and that the civil rights, privileges, and capacities of any citizen shall not be in any manner affected by his [sic] religious principles.” Though Young’s pledge is voluntary, his suggestion that “good” representatives of Alabama should adhere to certain religious principles appears to violate the explicitly stated separation of church and state in the Alabama constitution.